Squash and White Bean Soup with Quinoa is a silky smooth soup with flavourful and satisfying herby quinoa. Make on the stove or in the Instant Pot!
New Year, New Food. That’s totally how the saying goes right? For my fresh start this year, I would like to get back to some basics. It’s starting with this silky smooth Squash and White Bean Soup with Quinoa.
Wholesome, heathy and nothing short of delicious food. Here’s my starting point for a month of getting back to the heart of good, nutritious food.
When blended butternut squash turns itself into a luscious being. No dairy needed with this guy around. This soup is brimming with cozy winter flavours of squash and herbs.
The beans add another smooth, almost silky element to the soup and the quinoa for some great texture, not to mention additional nutritional value. The herbs round out and complete the meal.
The type of squash used in this Squash and White Bean Soup with Quinoa is butternut. It has a tough exterior that I peel with my vegetable peeler. I then lop off the top and bottom end and cut the squash directly down the middle. I’m unsure if there’s a better way to scoop out the sides, but I use my grapefruit spoon because those suckers get everything.
From there the butternut can get a bit slippery so I carefully dice it into about 1″ cubes for this recipe.
If you’re not into the hard labour of chopping up the squash, cooking directly from pre-chopped frozen butternut squash is fine.
Cozy comfort food soups that still satisfying (aka eat like a meal):
- Slow Cooker Cream of Leek Soup with Chorizo Croutons
- Beet, Ginger, and Coconut Milk Soup
- Italian Sausage, Kale, and Potato Soup
- Instant Pot Split Pea and Ham Soup
This recipe was originally written for Peaks and Harbours which you can find here.
The photos for this post were update February 2018 and the instructions for Instant Pot were included at that time.
White Bean and Squash Soup with Herby Quinoa is a silky smooth soup with flavourful and satisfying herby quinoa. Make on the stove or in the Instant Pot!
- 8-12 leaves fresh sage
- 2 tsp vegetable oil, divided
- 1 medium yellow (cooking) onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 small butternut squash (about 2 cups), peeled and cut into 1" cubes (no need to be exact, the whole thing is blended anyways)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 14 oz. cans white beans, drained and rinsed
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 cups water (change to 1 1/4 cups if making in the IP)
- 1/2 tsp thyme leaves dried or 1 tsp fresh
- 1/2 tsp sage leaves dried or 1 tsp fresh
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
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In a large pot heat 1 tbsp of vegetable oil of medium-high heat. Cook sage leaves for about 3-4 minutes, until starting to brown and become crispy. Remove from pan and drain on a paper towel lined plate.
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Add onion to pot, season heavily with salt and pepper, and cook for 4-5 minutes until starting to soften, but not turning brown. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add squash and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and firmly simmer for 30-40 minutes until squash has softened and yields when pricked with a fork. Add beans and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper again.
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In batches blend contents of pot. (Hold down blender kid with a tea towel; hot liquid can pop the lid off.) Return blended soup to pot and keep warm.
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Meanwhile, place 1 tbsp of oil in a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat and add thyme and sage. Cook for 2-3 minutes until fragrant. Add quinoa and cook stirring for about a minute. Add water and cook for 15-20 minutes until quinoa has absorbed all the water and is cooked.
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Set Instant Pot to "sauté" and add vegetable oil. Add sage leaves and cook until crisp, turning once, about 3-4 minutes. Set to drain on a paper towel lined plate.
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Add onion, garlic, squash, broth, salt and pepper to IP, close lid with venting set to "sealed". Set to high pressure for 4 minutes. Once done, use the "quick release" valve to release steam. Turn IP off. Add beans and lemon juice, stir to combine.
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In batches blend contents of pot. (Hold down blender kid with a tea towel; hot liquid can pop the lid off.) Return blended soup to IP or a different pot and keep warm while making quinoa.
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Add quinoa, water, thyme, sage, salt and pepper. Close lid with venting set to "sealed". Cook at high pressure for 1 minute and use the "quick release" valve to release steam. Carefully fluff with a fork.
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Place a large spoonful of quinoa in the bottom of bowls and top with soup and crispy sage leaves.
Enjoy! xo
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